The present invention relates to printable documents and, in particular, to the production of a printed document from an electronic document source in such a manner so as to enable a user of the printed document to replicate searching and filtering functions available in the electronic source.
For many years, information has been retained electronically in databases for a number of purposes. One is to provide for convenient retrieval of information over a distributed network and another is to enable ease of searching of subject matter within the database. Specifically, electronic databases provide users with the ability to combine search criteria so as to provide a highly filtered search result, thereby minimising the amount of post search analysis (if any) required to be performed by the user.
Difficulties arise however when it is desired for the electronic database to be replicated in a printed document form. Notably, the electronic linking of information becomes lost when the electronic database is reproduced in a material printed form. Further, and more specifically, the ability to search the information within the database is invariably lost upon traditional printing of the database. Because of these issues, information originally sourced in databases invariably remains within such electronic databases. Further, there has been an increasing trend over the past ten or so years for manufacturers of printed documents to scale down the manufacture of printed documents and to release electronic documents in substitution therefor. This substitution provides the added advantages of electronic searching and linking of information within the documents. A commercially successful example of this is the Encyclopedia Britannica which, whilst still available in printed book form, is predominantly marketed in its electronic CD-ROM form due to a substantial cost advantage to the user and also the interactivity available using hyperlinking within the electronic document retained on the CD-ROM.
However, there are instances where electronic databases and the like are undesired, inconvenient, and/or too expensive to justify products being supplied to meet market demand. Invariably, consumers are left with printed documents which lack the functionality of electronic databases.
It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome, or at least ameliorate, one or more of the above-noted problems
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of forming a printable document from a database having a plurality of data records, the printable document incorporating manual functionality complementing electronic functionality associated with said database, said method comprising the steps of:
filtering said database using a plurality of filter functions, each said filter function having a plurality of filter attributes, said filtering forming, for each said filter attribute, a corresponding set of said data records;
creating at least one information page, each said information page incorporating at least one data element related to at least one of said data records, there being associated with each said data element a corresponding (first) physical indicator selectable by a user of said document to access the corresponding data element;
creating at least one referencing page, each said referencing page incorporating for each said filter function a first set of (second) physical indicators selectable by said user to access one said referencing page corresponding to at least one other of said filter functions, a second set of (third) physical indicators selectable by said user to access information regarding each corresponding said attribute of said filter function; and a third set of (fourth) physical indicators configurable in association with said first physical indicators for directly referencing the corresponding said data element; and
combining said information pages and said referencing pages to form said printable document.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of forming a transient hyperlink in a printed document, said printed document being formed from applying a plurality of filter functions, each having a plurality of filter attributes, to a plurality of data records to form, for each said attribute, a corresponding said of said data record, said printed document comprising
at least one information page, each said information page incorporating at least one data element related to at least one of said plurality of data records, there being associated with each said data clement a corresponding (first) physical indicator selectable by a user of said document to access the corresponding data element;
at least one referencing page, each said referencing page incorporating for each said filter function a first set of (second) physical indicators selectable by said user to access one said referencing page corresponding to at least one other of said filter functions, a second set of (third) physical indicators selectable by said user to access information regarding each corresponding said attribute of said filter function; and a third set of (fourth) physical indicators configurable in association with said first physical indicators for directly referencing the corresponding said data element;
said method comprising the steps of:
(i) selecting one said second physical indicator of a first said referencing page to access a corresponding further said referencing page of said document;
(ii) selecting from said further referencing page a third physical indicator and associating said third physical indicator with an adjacent first physical indicator to identify a corresponding said data record.
Other aspects of the present invention are also disclosed.